Tulsi: The Anti-Aging, Stress-Fighting Wonder Herb You Need to Know

Revered in India as “The Queen of Herbs,” Tulsi (also known as Holy Basil or “The Incomparable One”) has been used for centuries to support immunity, stress response, anti-aging, and the body’s natural detoxification process. The herb has been valued for centuries because of its benefits for the mind, body, and spirit.

Tulsi for Stress

Tulsi is a powerful “adaptogen,” an intelligent herb that adapts to physical, emotional and environmental stress, then works to normalize and balance the body. Stress is linked to many aspects of both physical and mental health, and healing and balance can only come about when the underlying stress is identified and addressed. Adaptogens reduce the intensity and negative impact of physical, emotional and environmental stressors.

Tulsi works to help support healthy cortisol levels by mitigating stress. Called “the stress hormone,” cortisol regulates and controls the influence of many of the physical and emotional changes that occur in the body in response to stress. Cortisol plays an important role in the body, releasing a boost of energy and strength in times of “flight or fight.” But the body cannot remain in a constant state of continual stress. Regular use of Tulsi helps to balance the body on all levels and support its response to every day stressors.

Tulsi for Health

Tulsi is also a powerful antioxidant, and has been used in Ayurveda for centuries. It is particularly effective with slow or congested digestion as well as emotional digestion. When the body is continually bombarded by high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones, it can lead to increased appetite, weight gain and poor digestion, potentially leading to anxiety, depression or a suppressed immune system.

Tulsi works to lift mood, stamina and endurance with a calming energy. Adaptogenic herbs do not alter mood, but rather, they help the body function optimally. Tulsi creates a general sense of well-being, working to boost energy and enhance focus in order to deal with ongoing conflict and stress.

The anti-aging properties of Tulsi have been revered in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Studies have found that Tulsi is protective against oxidative damage and reduces free radicals, while it balances antioxidant enzymes.

Regenerative Agriculture is sub-sector of organic farming that regenerates unhealthy soils and builds upon soil fertility, in order to protect and restore the earth. Regenerative agricultural practices go beyond organic and sustainable agriculture, by regenerating the soil, land, and surrounding ecosystem in order to restore vibrant health to the environment. These practices are all about putting in more than they take out. Richer soil creates more powerful herbs, and in addition, these practices have restored microbial diversity to the soil. Microbes help to achieve balance in the digestive tract, so they are an added boost to the health benefits of ORGANIC INDIA’s teas and supplements.

While the current trend is to isolate compounds for their specific therapeutic quality, ORGANIC INDIA utilizes whole herbs in their Tulsi formulas, founded in a belief that the sum of the parts of the whole plant are more balanced than any one main constituent. Part of the restorative properties come from the synergistic quality of plants—they were not meant to be scientifically separated into extracts, they were meant to be offered whole. In honoring the divine intelligence of the earth, and offering the potency and balance of whole herbs, ORGANIC INDIA keeps herbal formulas as close to their original form as possible.

ORGANIC INDIA Tulsi teas and herbal supplements are comprised of three different types of Tulsi—Rama, Vana and Krishna Tulsi. Taken together, this formula is tri-dosha balancing, meaning that it is balancing to all Ayurvedic body types—Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas. While other Tulsi formulas may service a particular body type, ORGANIC INDIA’s Tulsi provides balance to all body types.

ORGANIC INDIA offers 24 flavors of Tulsi Tea, ranging from their wildly popular Tulsi Sweet Roseand Tulsi Turmeric Ginger, to their more therapeutically targeted formulas, such as Tulsi Sleepand Tulsi Tummy. They also offer a Tulsi Supplement for a less romanticized way to get in your daily dose of this powerful adaptogen. For reference, one Tulsi tea bag includes the same amount of Tulsi as one capsule of the Tulsi Supplement.